The Making of Tom's Pen

[David Walser]

As you know, Tom Henry set up the recent pen exchange and had the wisdom and insight to select me as his trading partner. If UPS does its thing, tomorrow Tom should be receiving his pen, so I thought it might be appropriate for me a post a mini-tutorial on how I made Tom's pen. WARNING: THIS TUTORIAL CONTAINS SOME HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED TECHNIQUES. THEY SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED BY A NEWBIE!

Here goes:

Step 1: Select the blank. Tom is a manly man who says he likes wood, rather than plastic, for pen blanks. So, I got out some of my finest samples of wooden pen blanks and lined them up on my lathe side by side. Here's a photo:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/0.jpg

Here's a close up of the blanks:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/1.jpg

The question, of course, is which blank to choose. As I said, Tom's a manly man and wouldn't go for any of that sissy colored wood or that curly burly stuff. I figure he'd like something strong. Something you could make a house or a four-plex out of. I think the choice is obvious.

Step two: Select the pen kit. I don't have a wide selection of pen kits. Fortunately, all of them are high quality. Here's a picture of the options:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/5.jpg

There, with the selected blank, are the Jr. Gents II, Apprentice slimline, and Elegant Beauty Sierra Pen kits we have to choose from. Here I had to guess. Tom doesn't look like a junior to me. He's from the East, so he may not know too much about the High Sierras (a mountain range, for those of you who failed high school geography). So, the slimline pen it is.

Step three: Turn it round. Having selected both blank and kit, it's now time to mount the blank between centers and to start turning! Here's a picture of the blank ready to be turned round:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/8.jpg

The blue line is to help with grain alignment.

Continued in the next post.

[David Walser]

To turn the blank round, I'm using my spindle roughing gouge:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/9.jpg

Notice the fine shavings I'm getting. To get such fine shavings, it's important to ride the bevel. The next picture shows the proper approach to using this gouge. With the gouge oriented this way, it's easier to see the bevel rub and the tool is lest apt to rotate on the tool rest.

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/10.jpg

The gouge is much more stable in this postition than it is in the photo immediately above. Again, the blue line is to aid in grain matching.

Step Three.5: Continue turning it round. Once the blank is round, it's necessary to turn it rounder. That is, turn it to a smaller and smaller diameter until it's just the right size. To know how small to turn it to, the kits come with these handy drill bushings. (More on drilling the blank, and using these bushings, later.) Here's a picture of one of these bushings and a "sizer" that's used to measure the proper size of the blank:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/13.jpg

Here I've already turned one end down to the proper size using one of my favorite tools, the Hamlet "diamond diameter reducer". (Which is really a dumb name, because, don't all turning tools reduce the diameter of the blank?) The blue line is to help with grain alignment.

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/15.jpg

Here's a picture of the blank turned down to size before sanding. Note the fine finish left by the diamond diameter reducer. The blue line is to aid in grain alignment.

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/16.jpg

Step Three.75: Apply the finish. I really like the smell of lacquer, don't you? Here's the pen blank after it's been sanded and the first coat of lacquer has been applied:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/17.jpg

Several more coats are to follow. No pictures, sorry. The blue line is to aid in grain alignment.

Continued in the next post.

[David Walser]

Step four: Drill the blank. Now that the blank has been turned round and is nice and shinny, it has to be hollowed out so it can accept the pen mechanism. Some turners use miniature hollowing tools for this step. That's not really necessary. I don't think it cheapens the end product at all to use a drill to hollow out the blank. (Please, no flame wars! I offer this as my opinion, only. YMMV.)

Here's where the drill bushings, mentioned above in step three.something, come into play. By holding the bushing to the end of the blank, it's possible to guide the electric drill bit into the center of the blank. (Always hold the bushing with pliers! Never hold the bushing with your fingers -- even if you're wearing gloves. Safety first!) However, I think it's easier to use a drill press (assuming you have one) and a drill vise (assuming you have one). If you don't have one of these things, then use the bushing. That's what they're for. Here's a picture of the blank set up for drilling:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/19.jpg

Another approach would be to drill the blank on the lathe, but that's just stupid so I won't go into it. The blue line is to aid in grain alignment.

Step five: Cut the blank to length. After you've drilled the blank, the next step is to cut the blank to length. As you can imagine, there are many ways of doing this. Here's a picture of my set up:

http://members.cox.net/davidkwalser/21.jpg

The blue line is to aid in grain alignment. The two pencil lines mark where to cut. (Just cut between the lines.) Be sure to keep your fingers well away from the blade.

That's it. It's not the end of making the pen -- it still has to be assembled, but I don't want to ruin Tom's surprise by showing what the final pen looks like. Maybe he can post a picture of the finished product after he opens his package tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did in bringing it to you. If you have any doubts about whether you should follow any of these tips, DON'T.

[Ron Williams]

I needed a good laugh

[Mike Golka]

Best tutorial I've seen yet! Going out to shop to try a pen right now. One question though, I don't have access to any of that fancy drilling stuff. Could I just drive the appropriate size nail through the blank to make it hollow before turning?

[Maria Alvarado]

If only this tutorial had been around when I got started! My only question is: how do you keep the grain aligned?
Tom, you're a lucky guy, getting that pen. I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering from Pinus envy ;)

[curtis rosche]

why does the grain need to be aligned?

[David Walser]

Thanks for getting the joke. After the tutorial went up, it clocked 29 views without a single comment. I was afraid everyone thought I was being serious.:o

[David Walser]

Best tutorial I've seen yet! Going out to shop to try a pen right now. One question though, I don't have access to any of that fancy drilling stuff. Could I just drive the appropriate size nail through the blank to make it hollow before turning?

Glad I could help. I thought about driving a nail through to leave a hole and I've serious reservations about this approach. The problem, it seems to me, would be the same problem faced when drilling the hole before turning the blank: The walls of the pen tube are very thin. Pre-drilling (or pre-nailing) might leave the blank too weak to be able to turn between centers. But, if you don't have access to a drill, maybe you should give it a try. Be sure to report back to us!

[David Walser]

...
Tom, you're a lucky guy, getting that pen. I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering from Pinus envy ;)

Maria, I bow before the master. Nice pun.

I feel very sorry for you. Your sense of humor is too much like my own.

[David Walser]

why does the grain need to be aligned?

Curtis, I'm not sure why the grain needs to be aligned. All I know is every article or video on pen turning I've every read or watched says you need to align the grain. Several suggest drawing a line (as I did in my tutorial) to assist with grain matching. (You didn't think I came up with that idea on my own, did you?) The problem with drawing a line is the line disappears as soon as you start turning. So, you have to keep re-drawing the line as you go. It's really quite a pain. Worse, when you're done you have this ugly line on the finished pen. (I try to put it on the back of the pen so it's not as noticeable.) Which is why I use blue for the line. Blue's my favorite color.

Thanks for asking an excellent question. You've helped millions learn more about the fine art of pen turning.

Shouldn't you be in school?

[jason lambert]

Wow, better you try that than me.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Now that's funny!!! Each photo just kept getting better! LOL

Hope Tom appreciates all the trouble you went through to turn his pen!

Now I know why I stick with hollow forms!

[Rick Gifford]

I read this right after you posted and was going to comment you have to be joking... then decided I wanted to see all the steps as you continue. Didnt want to ruin a good thing with a comment.

Hope no one does a google search on pen making and finds this thread and tries it. :p

Then again who knows, you may have discovered a whole new method!

The only thing better is if you started with a seedling and a pen insert so the pen would grow inside the blank. Just add water and harvest in 10 years.

I do want to see the youtube video of the drilling process on the turned down wood! lol Especially if you use the miniature hollowing tools... :eek: and dont forget the mini steady rest

[Brian Brown]

The problem with drawing a line is the line disappears as soon as you start turning. So, you have to keep re-drawing the line as you go. It's really quite a pain. Worse, when you're done you have this ugly line on the finished pen. (I try to put it on the back of the pen so it's not as noticeable.)

Can't you just put the lie on the inside of the pen??? :D

[Chris Fierro]

I'm still not sure what the blue line is for...

[Brian Brown]

That's funny, I don't care who you are, that's funny. I read this late last night, when I was blearry eyed, and really really tried to make sense of it. I couldn't decide if I liked it for the joke it was, or if I was wishing you were serious, so I could laugh at the absurdity of it . It works both ways. By the way, _______________ the blue line is to aid in grain alignment. :D And yes, I do like the smell of lacquer........Really really like the smell of lacquer. :eek::rolleyes::D

[Rick Prosser]

Loved it! Just enough truth to make you wonder, then think ...??.. wait a minute.:confused:

Now I gotta go find a blue grain alignment pen...:D

[michael gallagher]

That was very good...I needed a laugh today!

[michael gallagher]

Now that's funny!!! Each photo just kept getting better! LOL

Hope Tom appreciates all the trouble you went through to turn his pen!

Now I know why I stick with hollow forms!

Steve-

I'll trade you two of my pens for one of your hollow forms, plus I'll throw in a pen kit, mandrel, bushings, and blank selection. I promise you will be hooked!

[Billy Tallant]

Rick,
I understand what you are saying about googling this tutorial. Even so, I think it would make some really interesting reading if they would post their results or any problems they encountered after trying this method. :)

[David Walser]

I appreciate the comments. I'm glad that most of you realized the tutorial was humor and not to be taken seriously. I was pretty sure everyone one would be in on the joke once they got to the picture of the blank mounted between centers -- with no pen mandrel.

I hope no one was offended by my satirical look at turning tutorials. I really do like and have learned a lot from the videos and articles that so many turners have produced to share their knowledge. Yet, I found the thought that I might have anything worthwhile to add to be ridiculous -- which led to the tutorial. Perhaps someone should post a thread critiquing all the errors I made -- if only to protect unsuspecting newbies.

I really liked the way some of you built on the theme. Using a nail instead of a drill to hollow out the blank or planting a seedling inside a pen kit and waiting for the pen blank to grow, were both good ideas. There were several others. Perhaps someone should start a thread on what "tips" were left out of my tutorial. You guys are creative and could do better than my meager effort.

One last thing: UPS reports Tom's pen was delivered a little while ago. If any of you see him before I do, be sure to let him know what that blue line is for. It's typically the first question people ask about my pens. ;)

[Brian McInturff]

Dave,
No wonder my pens come out wrong. I thought rubbing the bevel meant the bevel on the tool rest.:eek:
You sir, are quite the card:D

[Graham Sugar]

I appreciate the comments. I'm glad that most of you realized the tutorial was humor and not to be taken seriously. I was pretty sure everyone one would be in on the joke once they got to the picture of the blank mounted between centers -- with no pen mandrel.

I hope no one was offended by my satirical look at turning tutorials. I really do like and have learned a lot from the videos and articles that so many turners have produced to share their knowledge. Yet, I found the thought that I might have anything worthwhile to add to be ridiculous -- which led to the tutorial. Perhaps someone should post a thread critiquing all the errors I made -- if only to protect unsuspecting newbies.

I really liked the way some of you built on the theme. Using a nail instead of a drill to hollow out the blank or planting a seedling inside a pen kit and waiting for the pen blank to grow, were both good ideas. There were several others. Perhaps someone should start a thread on what "tips" were left out of my tutorial. You guys are creative and could do better than my meager effort.

One last thing: UPS reports Tom's pen was delivered a little while ago. If any of you see him before I do, be sure to let him know what that blue line is for. It's typically the first question people ask about my pens. ;)


Joke? joke?:confused::confused:
I thought everybody made their pens like that or is it just that you lot on the top half of the world have just worke out what we down here have known all along:D:D:D

[David Walser]

Tom sent me a PM and he said he likes his pen. (Well, he was more effusive than that, but modesty does not permit my using his exact words.) He promises pictures as soon as he can.

He didn't mention the blue line in his PM. Most people ask about that. Maybe he hasn't turned the pen over, yet?

[Mark Norman]

Its great to have such an informative instructional available to assist a noobie such as myself. I haven't turned a pen yet but I plan to in the not too distant future and I will reference you tutorial Dave. Thanks;)

[phil harold]

how do you determine the backside of the pen?


blue is my favourite color too, so can I put the blue on the frontside?

[Rick Gifford]

Bill I agree. I am only joking about someone googling and trying it. One of the better joke posts I have seen.

[David Drickhamer]

I often wondered how you guys make pens. Now I know. Couldn't you just hide the blue line under the clip? Isn't that whats the clip is for?
:rolleyes::D
Dave

[Robert McGowen]

Nice thread! The joke was on me though, because I was about 3/4's of the way through the post before I realized that you were NOT an idiot, just a jokester. I WAS suspicious though, when you used the pine blank for the pen. :rolleyes: :eek: :D

[David Walser]

Nice thread! The joke was on me though, because I was about 3/4's of the way through the post before I realized that you were NOT an idiot, just a jokester. I WAS suspicious though, when you used the pine blank for the pen. :rolleyes: :eek: :D

Well, then I must have gotten the tone about right. A tall tale has to have some foundation of truth.

[Allen Neighbors]

My wife and Granddaughter (who is here for a week for the express purpose of learning a little about woodturning) didn't understand my laughter. Thank you, David
That is truly funny!! :D :D :D

[Tom Henry]

Well the joke was on me....this is so funny!!! I really was expecting a pine pen!!!!

[David Walser]

Well the joke was on me....this is so funny!!! I really was expecting a pine pen!!!!

Say it ain't so, Tom.

Honest, guys, the UPS tracking system says Tom's pen was delivered on Thursday. I don't know what Tom means by saying his pen hasn't arrived. I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent.

[David Walser]

My wife and Granddaughter (who is here for a week for the express purpose of learning a little about woodturning) didn't understand my laughter. Thank you, David
That is truly funny!! :D :D :D

Allen,

I'm glad I could give you a laugh. Be sure to post pictures of your granddaughter's creations.

My own kids, old enough to be married, have so far proven too lazy to produce any grandchildren. When, and if, they get off the dime, one of the pleasures I've been promising myself is teaching my grandkids how to turn. (I've been assuming it's a pleasure. Please do not disabuse me of that notion.)

[David Walser]

For those of you wanting to see a picture of the pen I sent to Tom, the making of which was so lovingly and accurately documented above, here's a link to the pictures posted by Tom: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1153545#poststop

Thanks to Tom for making this all possible! I had fun, even if no one else did.

[curtis rosche]

i still dont get whats so funny. is it because the bule line is stilll on the finished pen?

[David Walser]

i still dont get whats so funny. is it because the bule line is stilll on the finished pen?

Curtis, that is another very good question. Thanks for asking.

Yes, that's it. If you look really closely at the pictures Tom provided, you can still see the blue line on the pens I turned. Tom has the pens oriented with their backs (a/k/a the "blue line side") away from the camera, but you can see a reflection of the blue line in the clear acrylic stand the pens are on. You just have to look close. And make sure your monitor is properly adjusted.

[CW McClellan]

I have found if ya scavage your saw pile out back --catch 5 termites placing then in a quart jar with a lid on it where they cant get out --take pen blank coat the four outsides with red paint leaving the ends open --take an icepick and push point in center of each end (this will show them where to start) they will eat to the other end for you --place 3/4 X5" stock in jar with top on --when needing larger holes get larger termites --:D

[David Walser]

I have found if ya scavage your saw pile out back --catch 5 termites placing then in a quart jar with a lid on it where they cant get out --take pen blank coat the four outsides with red paint leaving the ends open --take an icepick and push point in center of each end (this will show them where to start) they will eat to the other end for you --place 3/4 X5" stock in jar with top on --when needing larger holes get larger termites --:D

Why didn't I think of that? It's amazing how many different ways there are to making a pen.